


Still Counts

by endemictoearth



Category: My Mad Fat Diary
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-03
Updated: 2013-11-03
Packaged: 2018-04-08 13:52:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4307565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/endemictoearth/pseuds/endemictoearth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Izzy's pretty little, but has a big mouth. So when she lets it slip that Rae said Archie had done more than kiss her on their date, Finn isn't sure what to think about it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Still Counts

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by an open prompt from one of my favorite fandom cuties, ch1darkcy!

The boys had been to Knebworth the weekend before, and every conversation since had been about the show. The drive there, and how crowded it was, and how Barney had gotten lost, and they had to wait outside the main gates until nearly two in the bloody morning. Archie had taken a notebook and jotted down the set list like the speccy wanker he was, so there was much discussion about song order and why they didn’t play certain tunes. When they would talk about it, Rae would bite her lip, or get up to look at the jukebox. It had been her decision to not go, but she still felt bad about missing the gig. Chloe and Izzy took turns rolling their eyes behind the lads’ backs. It was just a concert, after all!

After three days straight of gig post mortem, Rae decided to be late to the pub. It wasn’t like she could join in the discussion, anyway, and maybe they’d get it out of their system by eight or eight-thirty. 

Finn was getting sick of talking about Saturday, too. It hadn’t turned out the way he wanted, and every time they talked about how amazing the show had been, he couldn’t help feel a twinge in his gut, seeming to say it would have been doubly amazing if only Rae hadn’t made him stop the car to let her out. What if he had just kept driving? Hadn’t let her out to chill with Chloe or whatever the fuck she’d decided was better than going to the concert? He shook his head and rolled a cigarette on his bedside table. He’d get there when he got there.

Archie was engrossed in a book about the Western Front in WWI: opposing forces fighting over the same few miles of land. 

And Chloe was writing drafts of a note she wasn’t sure she’d ever send.

* * *

Izzy didn’t mean to let it slip. It was just that she was alone there in the pub with Chop, and he seemed bored, or maybe even uncomfortable. He kept looking around the pub and avoiding making eye contact. 

“Y'know, I’m still surprised Rae and Archie didn’t work things out,” she said almost absent-mindedly.

“Why’s that?” Chop asked, sitting up in his chair, suddenly very interested in the conversation.

“Well, she was so happy about their date, y'know, when you were ribbin’ her abou’ her and Archie’s faces … havin’ … ya know. I mean, they didn’t actually have sex, obviously, but, I mean, they  _did_  do more than jus’ kiss tha’ night.”

Chop froze mid-gulp, pint glass still to his lips. After sputtering a bit, he asked, “What’s this, now?”

Realizing her mistake, Izzy turned bright red. “N-nothin’! I shouldn'ta said anythin’! It really weren’t anythin’.”

“No-no-NO. Y'can’t jus’ leave me hangin’ like that, Iz! Did she … y'know?” He clumsily mimed a hand job, but then looked sheepish and stopped.

“No! Look, jus’ forget it, alright?” Izzy blushed and dropped her head to drink her Coke out of her straw, red hair falling in front of her face.

Chop shifted in his seat for a moment, then looked forlornly into his beer, face assuming an expression between disappointment and resignation. “Nah, yer righ’. I jus’ thought that we were pretty good friends, is all.”

Izzy nodded, “We are!”

“Well, don'tcha think good friends should be able ta tell each other stuff about … mutual good friends?” Chop raised his eyebrows in hope and Izzy was about to cave, when Chloe showed up, sliding into the booth next to Izzy. She could sense the tension in the air and said, “Eh, what’s up wi’ you two, then?" 

"N-nothin’!” Izzy quickly rejoined.

At the same time, Chop said, “Izzy here was jus’ about ta tell me what Archie and Raemundo got up to on their date besides lockin’ lips. D'you know anythin’ abou’ it?”

Chloe shrugged, but flashed Chop a grin. “Might do.”

“Yer killin’ me, girls!”

“Oh, alrigh’!” Chloe leaned forward over her arms, and exclaimed in hushed tones, “Archie fingered Rae!” Chop’s jaw hung open and he set his pint glass down. “Eight times!” she added, not likely to forget such a specific number.

“Wha’?! Fuckin’ ‘ell! Under her jeans?”

“Over her jeans.”

“That still counts!”

“That’s what I said!” Chloe leaned back, feeling the satisfaction of having served up a scoop of delicious gossip. 

Izzy, face still blazing with the embarrassment of not being able to keep her gob shut, looked up for a moment, and saw Rae coming through the door. “Oi, watch out,” she said, hoping it wasn’t too loud.

Rae sat down, dropping her bag next to her on the bench. “Hiya,” she said with a confused smile. “What’s up? No lads tonight? Have ya finally exhausted the topic o’ Knebworth?”

Chop cleared his throat. “Erm, yeah, I guess. Dunno where everyone’s got to.” He swallowed a smile and then stood up. “I’ll get you ladies a round, okay? Your usuals?”

They all nodded and watched him walk over to the bar.

“So, what IS up?” Rae asked.

“Nothin’ really. We were jus’ talkin’ about … interpersonal relations.” Chloe smiled, “It was gettin’ borin’, to be honest.” She twirled a lock of her hair. “What have you been up to?”

Rae shook her head and looked around for Finn or Archie. “Where’s Finn?” she asked, hoping it sounded nonchalant. 

“Dunno. Haven’t seen ARCHIE, either.” Chloe raised an eyebrow and grabbed her drink off the tray Chop came back bearing. 

Rae blinked, confused. “O-okay. Jus’ wonderin’. Pub’s pretty empty tonight, I guess.” She looked at Izzy, who was still clammed up, afraid to say anything else, for fear of letting another state secret slip. “Pretty quiet, too.”

Everyone just shrugged. By the time Archie and Finn showed up, it was all but forgotten.

* * *

Chop had come over to Finn’s to look at magazines the next day, just like they used to do every weekend and most days during the summer, before Chop got his job and they both were going to the pub every free moment. When they had exhausted their supply of NMEs, Chop picked up a guitar magazine and idly flipped through it. Then, like a ray of sun had broken through the clouds and lit up the page he turned to, he saw it. The perfect headline. He turned the magazine towards Finn and pointed to these words:

**HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR FINGERING**

Finn looked up and snorted with laughter. “Someone didn’t think that through,” he smirked and shook his head.

Chop threw his head back to laugh. “I mean, I’m no’ a rocket scientist, bu’ even I can see that ain’t right!” He turned the magazine back to marvel at the bold capitals at the top of the page once more. Then, he said, “You know who knows all about that, right?”

Finn kept his eyes fixed on his issue, but took the bait. “Who?” Chop was such a shit stirrer, he was probably going to make up something about fingering Pamela Anderson in a dream or something. He wasn’t expecting Chop to say:

“Raemundo. Apparently, she and Archie did a little more than jus’ kiss th'other night.”

His eyes flew up from the page. “What d'ya mean?” Finn voice squeaked traitorously on the last word.

Chop stopped lighting his cigarette and leaned in conspiratorially. “Well … thing is … Izzy and Chloe said that Rae said–” Finn furrowed his brow over this shitty game of telephone–“that not only did the two o’ them kiss … Archie also slipped 'er a cheeky finger! Over the jeans, apparently, but, y'know, still counts.” He looked over to see Finn’s reaction, and was surprised to see his friend wearing a scowl. Maybe he didn’t get it. “Guess all that guitar playin’ honed a few, shall we say, critical skills …” Chop played air guitar, wiggling his fingers wildly and sticking out his tongue. 

Now a look of utter disgust crossed Finn’s face. “Alright, enough!” he said, stubbing out his half-smoked cigarette. “Let’s change the subject.” Chop raised an eyebrow when he saw how little of the hand-rolled cigarette Finn had actually smoked.

“Ooh, sorry, mate! Din’t know you was so tetchy abou’ that sort o’ thing. I mean, when you was goin’ out wi’ Maggie Saunders, we 'eard all sorts from ya.”

“Yeah … well … Maggie Saunder’s not … y'know … she’s not …” Finn struggled. He couldn’t finish his thought, which was “she’s not Rae.”

“She’s not what, mate?” Chop looked at Finn curiously.

“She’s not part o’ the gang. Never was. S'diff'rent with Rae … and Izzy and Chloe,” he added hastily. He started rolling a new cigarette, for something to do. “Was–was Rae there when ya was talkin’ abou’ this?” He tried to keep his voice steady and uninterested.

“Nah, we clammed up when she came in. Din’t wanna embarrass 'er …” Chop looked back at the magazine, scanning the article for more salacious wording.

“Thank fuck for that,” Finn said under his breath.

“Didja say somethin’?” Chop asked, distracted.

“Nah, I didn’t say anythin’.” Finn frowned and then stood up. “Sorry, Chop, I forgot I’ve got to go see me nan in hospital. She’s not doin’ too well.”

Chop looked up in surprise. “Oh, sorry to hear it, mate! Yeah, I’ll jus’ head out, then.” He dropped the magazine on the pile next to Finn’s record player. “See ya later?”

Finn nodded, but didn’t say anything.

When Chop left, he looked down at his own hand, stretched out his fingers and imagined doing what Archie “did” to Rae. How would he do it? Under the table at the pub? Just … slowly walk his fingers across her thigh up to the promised land? Or, one day, taking her to his room, lying with her on his bed, and … he stopped himself. At this rate, his imagination was going to run away with him completely and he’d need a cold shower before he could leave the house. And, anyway, the next thought was that he didn’t want to miss out on all the stuff that came before that. Like, holding her hand, and kissing her properly.

Finn got up and ran to the loo to splash his face with water, then jogged down the steps and out the front door, off to visit his nan.

* * *

There were a few moments that always seemed to replay themselves in Finn’s head when he thought of Rae, which was more than he’d like to admit. The first was that little smirk she’d given him when she played the Beastie Boys on the jukebox. He still winced a little when he thought of that, but it was undeniably memorable.

Then, there was the afternoon he’d gone over to apologize about the cafe, and she stopped him to tell him the list wasn’t that long.

The smile she’d given him in the car before she bailed on Knebworth.

And … the look on her face after Chloe said Rae should share her best sexual experience. It was fleeting, and she covered it quickly enough with a smile, but the split second look of sadness and terror, coupled with her hasty exit, left him guessing she hadn’t had many. 

Which made him feel it was unlikely Archie had actually fingered Rae. Not that they always told each other everything, but Archie’d been oddly clinical talking about the whole experience. He’d surely have said something about it … 

Maybe Rae had said it just to shut Chloe up? He held out hope that Chop was wrong … not that she had to be a virgin. Or any girl, for that matter. That was something Finn had never understood. This weird double standard where guys were supposed to have done the deed, but girls weren’t. So … who was everyone getting off with? No, it was more that feeling you get when you like someone as much as he was starting to like Rae, and you want to know more about them than anyone ever has before. That’s what he wanted with Rae. To discover parts of her that she’d never shown anyone. To know her favorite song, her favorite album, her first memory, and, yes, eventually, to know how her face would look when he touched her.


End file.
